Betonsports lawyers no show arraignment

[dorethawsp]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/busines...=2%2C"gambling"

[Jimmy The Fish]

Mixed blessing for the rest of the industry, I suppose.

I don't think there's any doubt that BoS would lose a court case, specifically because of their 800 numbers used to take bets over the phone. The only thing the feds would have to prove is that "interstate" can also mean "international" in the existing wording of the Wire Act.

But a conviction would give the feds something they don't have right now: a case history. A contested victory over BoS might have widened the interpretation of the Wire Act, and put the internet-only sportsbooks at risk. What little case law does exist on the Wire Act has been used to narrow its scope; with BoS, the feds had what appeared to be a golden opportunity to expand it.

[TruePoker CEO]

The "golden opportunity" is pending in front of the Senate... to expand the Wire Act to the "business of betting or wagering" over the Internet.

Expect this indictment/trial to stay in the news through December ... If there is an acquittal, the cry is "See, we need HR4411."

If there is a conviction, the cry is, "See, we need HR4411 to make sure the Internet is also clearly covered. I am almost suprised the indictment doesn't treat these areas as separate counts."

On a related note, every US-based affiliate/supplier to sports books should watch this carefully.